I am UK resident with a French sailboat?

[Awen14]

Good morning,
I moved to Scotland from France, what is the most sensible way to deal with my sailboat?
Could I keep it under French registration?
I was allowed a transfer of residency with my belongings which I believe includes boats, could I register it in Scotland without having to pay any VAT?
Who should I contact for legal advice?
Cheers, Alain.

 

[Tranona]

You can bring your boat with all your other possessions under the "returning residents" relief. Here are the guidance notes from HMRC www.gov.uk/guidance/transfer-of-residence-to-great-britain All very straightforward and from what you say doubt you will need any legal advice. There are some restrictions on use and selling the boat but in reality they are not an issue. Registration is unconnected with VAT - your boat will now be considered VAT paid in the UK (but not in the EU). You can leave it registered in France. However in the UK there is no compulsory registration and you only need to register if you are going outside UK waters. You will now qualify for Part3 of the UK register (the SSR) which is simple to do if you need to.

 

[The Q]

Yep as above I came back from Saudi with my boat, and belongings, No taxes
Other than a warning they could charge vat if sold within 5 years, absolutely no paperwork required. no one ever came to see if I still had the boat either. which I still do 22 years later..

 

[Awen14]

Good evening, thank you very much it confirmed what I had read but it seemed too good to be true… I am so used and fed up with French bureaucracy that I was expecting a “catch” somewhere in the process?! So I’ll just add it to the list of furniture I am still moving from Normandy… and hope for the best.
Truly yours, Alain